No speaker ever says the same thing twice in exactly the same way. Many experiments have proved that when a speaker repeats a sound, his second effort does not go through exactly the same sound pattern of his first try. Each of us is constantly changing his muscular pattern for making the sounds of speech, but at the same time sounds by the same speaker are similar enough to prevent any misunderstanding on the part of the listener.
Despite the wide variation in the ways the various sounds of speech are made, there are certain set positions for making these sounds. The general over-all pattern remains practically the same for all individuals speaking the same language. The tongue must be in a certain place, the back of the mouth be opened or closed, and the lips must be flexed or taut?
Speech is not static; it is an ever-changing, whole body process. Muscular action changes from one moment to another; no part of the organism stops and is held rigidly. Something is always in motion while the speaking process is going on.
The whole problem of speech accuracy revolves around this movement concept. The speaker forms the sounds, but he may form them so rapidly that not enough time is given for the tongue, lips, jaw, and teeth to take the positions that are needed for the formation of that sound. The speaker who cannot form them rapidly enough should learn these positions, practice them first one by one, and then practice them in running phrases to see that all the parts of the word or phrase are properly sounded. But along with this should go a word of caution: the precision of making the sounds should not be felt by the listener. Too many people who try this kind of exercise come out with something that is artificial and foreign to their entire speech pattern, so that their speech draws attention to itself. Be accurate but don’t be over-precise. Don’t show off to others that you can make all the sounds in speech; listeners will accept that without your showing them, but let your own conscience be clear that you can, and do, make the sounds of English accurately.
We shall have to speak frequently in this chapter of two words: articulation and enunciation. These two words cause a great deal of trouble by being confused in general usage. With reference to speech they take on particular and specific connotations.
The basic meaning of articulate comes from physiology and has reference to the jointure of the various bones. We say a skeleton is articulated. The transfer in meaning to speech is evident for we are therein joining sounds with other sounds.
Enunciation refers to the way, or manner, of speaking, to the full pronunciation of the word with reference to accent or the way in which a phrase is said and with what kind of a voice.
The process of articulation takes in the use of all the muscles and bones of the mouth opening, the movable soft palate, and the lips. The tongue is constantly in action and the lower jaw changes position as well. It is well to think of articulation as the process which a speaker goes through in using his speech organs—lips, tongue, teeth, jaw, and soft palate—so that these parts finally all fit together and merge their functions in a sequence of sounds that becomes intelligible speech. The rapidity of this process is important in making the sounds of English accurately. A good exercise for improving the articulation is to take a patter song from one of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas and say it rapidly but accurately. For example:
I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I’m very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem
I’m teeming with a lot oynews—
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse,W. S. Gilbert, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
When you have practiced the positions given later in this chapter for the vowels and consonants, return to this, or a similar exercise, and try it again, always keeping in mind to be accurate but not over-precise. Make the articulation clear but natural.
